Focal Elear and Utopia Review / Preview With Measurements - Head-Fi TV
Jul 24, 2016 at 4:26 AM Post #1,157 of 5,632
 
If the Utopias are as good as advertised, you would need a dialed-in high end rig to hear everything it was capable of.

I'm talking top notch isolation stand, power conditioning, grounding box, and cables.

At that point your rig is in the multiples of tens of thousands of dollars.

Nonsense you do not need to spend 10's of thousands or even $10k to take advantage of the Utopia's prowess! That's a total exaggeration! I do think everyone is entitled to their opinions but the words "Brutally Accurate" are also a bit over the top. Kind of on the dramatic side. IMHO


Hey Jason, it was good to be able to meet you in SF. I'm not sure if you were referring here to something I posted.
 
I think what I said has been distorted somewhat. I felt that they were "brutally revealing" and because i've over-sensitised myself to subtleties when I listen to music that I wouldn't feel completely satisfied owning them unless I also had a good high-end rig, the best of which I've used so far has been a Chord Dave (I've not spent time with the TT) but might consist of something like a Schiit Audio Ragnarok/Yggdrasil combo. I mention those two specifically as two examples that I've had experience with. I should probably add the up-coming Cavalli amps as out of the Liquid Tungsten was the best I heard them at the show. There is a LOT of high-end gear I don't have experience with.
 
It's not about need, this is purely my feeling from my own experience. "Need" in this hobby, beyond the basic electrical requirements of components, is nonsense to degree -- it's all personal preference. 
smily_headphones1.gif

 
I've seen a lot of people with, say, HD800s use them with far less than a high-end rig and were completely satisfied, and no doubt the same will happen with some Utopia owners. They don't seem very difficult to drive, given I used them out of portable balanced amps at the meet. Depending what someone's goals are in buying them, what they feel they want or need will be different. 
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Jul 24, 2016 at 9:25 AM Post #1,159 of 5,632
  mmm......Apart from the Yggy/Rag and Dave,  what amp/dac(s)  pairs really well/will make the Utopia really "sing"? I need solid recos.......TIA.

DAC + Liquid Gold/Tungsten. Easy.
 
Jul 24, 2016 at 11:28 AM Post #1,161 of 5,632
Nonsense you do not need to spend 10's of thousands or even $10k to take advantage of the Utopia's prowess! That's a total exaggeration! I do think everyone is entitled to their opinions but the words "Brutally Accurate" are also a bit over the top. Kind of on the dramatic side. IMHO

 
I personally wouldn't buy one of these flagship headphones unless I had a high-end setup. You're not hearing anything close to what it's capable of.
 
Jul 24, 2016 at 11:36 AM Post #1,162 of 5,632
I personally wouldn't buy one of these flagship headphones unless I had a high-end setup. You're not hearing anything close to what it's capable of.
Is your profile up to date? If it is than your current set up will make a great comparison for your Audeze.
 
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Jul 24, 2016 at 11:42 AM Post #1,163 of 5,632
 
I personally wouldn't buy one of these flagship headphones unless I had a high-end setup. You're not hearing anything close to what it's capable of.

 
In theory? I agree. In reality? Maybe. I mean people whose opinions I value very highly (eg. @Currawong) have said they scale well with the remainder of your audio chain, however, until more extensive tests are done I am wary a blanket statement such as the one you just made in the form of "you're not hearing anything to what it's capable of" is a little uncalled for and potentially inaccurate. Would I use 4 grand headphones with a low/mid-fi setup? Not really, but for example I believe @raypin owns (or has one on order) the new WA8 - at this point I'd find it hard to believe it wouldn't adequately accommodate the Utopia. There will always be better/worse matches when it comes to sonic signatures/colouration and all that but I think the "anything close" is a little questionable, especially when it comes to a pair of headphones only a handful of people have auditioned (most of which for short periods of time). 
smily_headphones1.gif
 
 
Jul 24, 2016 at 12:03 PM Post #1,165 of 5,632
   
In theory? I agree. In reality? Maybe. I mean people whose opinions I value very highly (eg. @Currawong) have said they scale well with the remainder of your audio chain, however, until more extensive tests are done I am wary a blanket statement such as the one you just made in the form of "you're not hearing anything to what it's capable of" is a little uncalled for and potentially inaccurate.

 
I'm sure there are people who will buy the Utopias and like them in a mid-fi setup.
 
As with all components, you're not eve close to hearing what they're capable of until you have proper isolation, power conditioning, and grounding boxes.
 
I'm still stuck on the LCD-3 as they've scaled up to every major upgrade I've done.
 
I'm just saying there's no need to buy a flagship headphone unless you have high end setup.
 
I'm sure here are people who will buy it just out of curiosity of trying the best.
 
I'm excited and it sounds like a must audition for me.
 
Jul 24, 2016 at 12:27 PM Post #1,166 of 5,632
In theory? I agree. In reality? Maybe. I mean people whose opinions I value very highly (eg. @Currawong
) have said they scale well with the remainder of your audio chain, however, until more extensive tests are done I am wary a blanket statement such as the one you just made in the form of "you're not hearing anything to what it's capable of" is a little uncalled for and potentially inaccurate. Would I use 4 grand headphones with a low/mid-fi setup? Not really, but for example I believe @raypin
 owns (or has one on order) the new WA8 - at this point I'd find it hard to believe it wouldn't adequately accommodate the Utopia. There will always be better/worse matches when it comes to sonic signatures/colouration and all that but I think the "anything close" is a little questionable, especially when it comes to a pair of headphones only a handful of people have auditioned (most of which for short periods of time). :)  
He doesn't own one yet. However if he ordered that combination it's actually a very nice combo. If he's ordered from a US dealer he should be receiving it very close to the end of August. I'm quite sure he'll enjoy it too. So in that combo he's spent $5700.00. All he needs from there is a good DAC & Player ....still very likely to be way less than $10K
 
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Jul 24, 2016 at 12:30 PM Post #1,167 of 5,632
I'm sure there are people who will buy the Utopias and like them in a mid-fi setup.

As with all components, you're not eve close to hearing what they're capable of until you have proper isolation, power conditioning, and grounding boxes.

I'm still stuck on the LCD-3 as they've scaled up to every major upgrade I've done.

I'm just saying there's no need to buy a flagship headphone unless you have high end setup.

I'm sure here are people who will buy it just out of curiosity of trying the best.

I'm excited and it sounds like a must audition for me.
Maybe a better way to say that is there is no need for YOU to buy a set unless YOU have a high end set up. ...right? Your standards aren't necessarily the same as others ....wouldn't you agree?
 
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Jul 24, 2016 at 2:17 PM Post #1,170 of 5,632
My friend told me Elac F6 which designed by A Jones is a better choice...
your friend told you that a floor standing speaker is a better choice than what?? A headphone? Maybe it's a better idea to stay on topic and continue with comments and questions about the Elear and Utopia since that is what the topic of this thread is about?
 
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